Budapest on standby for worst floods in 500 years

RECORD floods on the Danube, which have killed 20 people, threatened to engulf large swathes of Hungary yesterday as its government declared a state of emergency.

“We are facing the worst floods of all time,” said Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister.

Forecasters say the Danube, Europe’s biggest river, could rise by up to 29ft today, 10in more than its previous high in 2006.

Ten thousand soldiers, emergency workers and volunteers scrambled to reinforce the banks of the river in several cities including the capital, Budapest, where the water is expected to reach levels not seen for 500 years. Residents were filling sandbags and barricading their homes.

Istvan Tarlos, the mayor of Budapest, said 55,000 people may need to be evacuated. More than 900 people